Featured Post

Trading away the dance-pop trifles of their hits for a faceless stylistic shuffle, the duo seems to be tiring of itself, too. We’re going to be stuck with the Chainsmokers forever. Though the unctuous duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall are probably not destined for decades of unqualified success, their insipid spin on EDM’s big-money boom has become as much an eye-rollingly omnipresent part of our national fabric as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Most living humans in the Western world have likely had the unfortunate sensation of having a Chainsmokers hit stuck in their head, as gross as gum on a hot bus seat; after all, their Coldplay collaboration, “Something Just Like This,” seems made only to ooze from department-store speakers for eternity. There’s even a goddamn feature-length film based on the M83-aping “Paris” in development. Like so many modern American atrocities, the Chainsmokers are just something we’re going to have to endure.

Flipboard

Art Brut - Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out! Music Album Reviews

After a seven-year absence, a band whose quest for rock’n’roll fame always mixed a piss-take with genuine aspiration return in charmingly humbled fashion.

On Art Brut’s 2005 debut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, Eddie Argos made gaming the system look so easy there was almost no sport to it. These were the early years of the indie rock bubble, an era when NME was still anointing new kings every week. Argos took advantage: He formed a band, immediately wrote a song about forming the band, and became the critical favorite he never doubted they were destined to be almost overnight.

During that breakout single, the loudmouthed Argos declared his intentions to write “the song that makes Israel and Palestine get along.” But 13 years later, underground-indebted rock is no longer much of a commodity. On Art Brut’s charmingly humbled fifth album, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!, Argos’ ambitions are decidedly modest. He’s traded youthful delusions of grandeur for dispatches about the indignities of being a nearly middle-aged rocker with no avenue left for world conquest. “Cult band!/Cult band!/Kultfigur!/Don’t snigger/It’s not about making the audience bigger,” he sings, channeling Mark E. Smith’s agitated caw. On “She Kissed Me (and It Felt Like a Hit),” which is neither a Spiritualized cover nor another modern attempt to reckon with the weight of the Crystals landmark, he’s surprised to discover that romance scratches the itch he once assumed only rock stardom could, likening his partner’s peck to an appearance on “Top of the Pops.”

Wham! Bang! follows the Frank Black-produced Brilliant! Tragic! by seven years, a gap that Argos chalks up to circumstances beyond his control. He was hospitalized, for instance, for nearly a month with a life-threatening bout with diverticulitis, a torturous experience he jubilantly vows never to repeat on “Hospital!,” even if better health requires precautions as dull as eating greens and drinking water. The brush with death renders him unusually agreeable: “They tried to make me go to rehab,” he bellows, “and I said… That is probably a very good idea!”

In the interim, guitarist Toby Macfarlaine and the Wedding Present drummer Charlie Layton joined the band. They’re ace players who understand the band’s trick of breathing life into music that’s not nearly as one-note as they’d like you to believe. Taking advantage of the talent, Art Brut shamelessly dial up the pop, constructing hooks with a cheeriness usually reserved for songs about birthdays. Elated horns and backing bah-bahs kick off the opener “Hooray!,” while dreamy harmonies sweeten “Veronica Falls.” It’s a lovely lament about a platonic relationship that could have been something more. Argos saves his less-wholesome admission for the final reveal: “This is a song about longing, wishing I’d done wrong, and missed opportunities to be bad/It’s a song about not cheating on your girlfriend/When you wish that you had.”

On Art Brut’s last two albums, Argos’ act soured a bit, as he lashed out at a world that was buying less and less of what he was selling. Wham! Bang! is good-hearted in a way those records weren’t, and the newfound humility flatters him. On “Too Clever,” he even holds a mirror to his signature wit, conceding that being a smartass isn’t the happiest way to lead your life. As always, Argos’ speak-sing delivery lends an air of disingenuity to his lyrics, implying satire even when he’s being honest. To the extent he is joking around, though, he’s learned the joke is funniest when he’s his own the target.

Popular posts from this blog

Apple’s latest iPad Pros are a very tempting purchase, but should you stick with the tried-and-tested Surface Pro from Microsoft? We help you decide which tablet to buy. Should I Buy The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Or Apple iPad Pro 11in (2018)?Two very competent 2-in-1s, one running Windows 10, the other iOS 12. For many this difference alone will inform the final choice, but both are top-notch tablets.

You probably know Synology for making NAS drives but the firm has also turned its hand to mesh networks. Here we review the MR2200ac. Should I Buy The Synology Mesh Router MR2200ac?Synology could do a little more to explain the many features of the MR2200ac for first-time users, but the strong performance of this mesh system, and the fine-control provided by its web browser interface make it a good option for business users or home users who have a little more experience of networking technology.

Huawei has updated its budget Android phone for 2019. It’s faster and better than before, but should you buy it? Read our review to find out. Should I Buy The Huawei P Smart 2019?The P Smart 2019 is a great upgrade from the 2018 model with a bigger screen and better performance. However, as with the original P Smart, Honor's version is better value.

Though similar to the OnePlus 6T the Oppo RX17 Pro is very different thanks to the software. Here’s our full review Should I Buy The Oppo RX17 Pro?The RX17 Pro is a great looking phone with good performance and a lush display. But with a Snapdragon 710 rather than the better 845 it’s just impossible not to compare it to the OnePlus 6T which looks the same, has better software for the western market and, importantly, costs less.If you like the look of Oppo’s interface though then there’s a lot to like. The two colour options are premium as is the build quality and the cameras are above average if not great.

We've waited two years for the Nokia 9, and at the end of this month the company could finally put us out of our misery. Here's what we know about the Nokia 9 PureView, which could feature a penta-lens rear camera. Nokia made its comeback to the Android market in January 2017 with the Nokia 6, and we've been waiting two years now for its long-rumoured flagship Nokia 9 to arrive. At MWC 2018 we thought that time was here, and then we got the the Nokia 8 Sirocco. But now the wait could really, really be over, as the Nokia 9 is tipped to land before the end of January 2019.